The CAD Insider

MarkForg3D Prints Carbon Fiber Parts, Rocks SolidWorks World

SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) MarkForg3D, a little startup of seven people, made its public debut in front of 5,600 at SolidWorks World before what may be the 2nd biggest concentration of mechanical engineers in the world¹.

As a rule, engineers don't get excited easily. But as SolidWorks CTO Gian Paulo Bassi tried to bend a MarkForg3D carbon fiber part on the main stage -- and couldn't -- the engineers lit up Twitter with their appreciation.

"I would have killed to have that to make parts for aircraft interiors," says one drooling engineer.

Greg Mark (right), CEO of MarkForg3D, behind the Mark One 3D printer that makes carbon fiber parts.

From then on, MarkForg3D's little booth on the back of the show floor, which may have had their first and only 3D printer and most of its employees, was swamped by engineers who wanted to know more, to try to bend the part, to see how the Mark One -- which with its fancy brushed aluminum chassis with more in common with an Apple laptop than a 3D printer -- was making parts. Oh, please let me into your world, they would be saying, a world where strong stiff light parts emerge cleanly out of my computer, ready to to be inserted into planes and cars, without the multi-step process, the sticky mess of hot epoxy, expensive molds, itchy mats of fiberglas...

Asked how he fared in his first public showing to thousands of engineers, Greg Mark, CEO of MarkForg3D said "with a double degree from MIT, I think I can hold my own." Greg has a masters and a bachelors in engineering from the nation's most esteemed engineering institution, which along with Stanford, seems to be one of the main checkpoints for venture capital funding. VCs also tend to follow previous investments when they try to catch the latest tech wave. MarkForg3D has done that, too, already receiving funding from the same VCs that funded SolidWorks.

So great is the promise of MarkForg3D. It is quite possibly the biggest breakthrough in 3D printing since rapid prototypes came out in metal. But while metal laser sintering machines can set you back five figures, the MarkForg3D is priced at $5,000. However, you can't buy one now. MarkForg3D has only started taking "preorders." "We will be determining the level of production we want to set," says Greg.

Don't expect the aerospace engineer to abandon conventional methods to create critical composite parts and jump on MarkForg3D. For critical parts and big companies, it will be business as usual. After all, serious players make big parts and like to deal with big companies. MarkForg3D is not in that league. Its parts are small, dependant on the printer's build volume. No huge molds (think aircraft fuselage or even bike frames), no one doing finite element analysis to predict behavior and finding optimum direction of fibers in a weave. However, the allure of what you see on your screen (in your CAD program) delivered clean and neat into your impatient hands in a few hours is unmistakable. I expect some smitten aerospace engineers will buy the Mark One for "home" use.

But MarkForg3D is not going for the highest echelon of manufacturing. There will be many for whom MarkForg3D will be compelling. Thinks of hot rods and the $100 billion² custom auto parts market, for one.

Several TenLinks Best of Show judges turned in their votes for MarkForg3D, though one did caution that despite the hype already surrounding the MarkForg3D, we should reserve our final opinion on proof. Not one of us had seen or tested a real part that came out of the Mark One. And what of the cost of the carbon material?

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1. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers probably gathers more at its annual convention.

2. http://www.statista.com/statistics/199604/size-of-the-us-automotive-aftermarket-parts-market-since-2000/

Related articles

MarkForg3D 3D Printer Makes Composite Parts

New 3D printer can print in carbon fiber

The MarkForged Mark One 3D Printer Works With Carbon Fiber , Nylon , Fiberglass

New 3D Printer Can Print With Carbon Fiber

MarkForg3D 3D Printer Makes Composite Parts

SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - MarkForg3D has a 3D printer that prints nylon and carbon fiber. Apart from being a real nice printer with an aluminum unibody, it combines the positive effects of nylon (for detailed models) with the strength of carbon fiber so you can apply strength and rigidity where needed and embed the fibers in a nylon part.

Nominated for Best of Show SolidWorks World 2014 by TenLinks judge, Ralf Steck.

See also

• MarkForg3D website

Related articles

World's First Carbon Fiber 3D Printer Announced, The Mark One - 3DPrint.com

SmartUse Touch Table: Bigger is Better

 

Lucie Perrier of SmartUse shows how to redline a drawing on the 55" touch table, expected to ship soon.

Think of an iPad as big as a picture window. Luckily, it's on a stand, so you don't have to hold it. You and your team members can all look the same drawing in actual size wthout bang your heads together or getting in each others' space.

SmartUse is showing such a system at Autodesk University. The big 55" model is drawing a lot of attention. The 55" model is projected to sell for $14k. Seems like a lot at first. You could equip an entire crew of 28 with iPads for that price.  But if you were to bring up a drawing full size just once on this SmartUse, looking at it drawings on an iPad will be forever ruined, like having to look at the world through a straw. The visual bandwidth of full size "touch table" is just too easy to get used to.

It's not the first big multi-touch screen we've seen. In fact, Microsoft's 55" Perceptive Pixel was nominated for our Best of Show at Siemens PLM World last June*. What distinguishes SmartUse is that it is tailored for construction professionals, who are all the time throwing big drawings on tables and marking them up, an activity for which SmartUse offers a more high tech method. SmartUuse software allows touch screen collaboration among all the users that connected online. Your mark-ups are being seen by someone in the office of elsewhere in the field.

The SmartUse houses a CPU with 8GB RMA and a 64GB SSD, It's really a giant Windows tablet you could actually However, the software supports PDFs ands DWF files (no CAD native formats).

SmartUse software is also available to run on small portable devices (like iPads and Windows tablets).

How much?

42" model for $12K

55" for $14K

70" no mention. You probably can't afford it.

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* Microsoft's BIG Screen -- You Want This for Your Design Review, CAD Insider, June 3, 2013

 

Risersoft UnitCAD Does Configurations for AutoCAD, Inventor

 LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University) -  Risersoft  was showing UnitCAD and PowerBOM at AU.

 

UnitCAD in its definition stage, allows parametrizaiton of existing geometry, which can serve as a basis of family of parts creation.

UnitCAD for AutoCAD and Inventor allows users to create drawings or part using rules. In that way, it is similar to Rulestream, now part of Siemens PLM. According to Abhishek Singhal, who is showing it to me, UnitCAD distinguishes itself by recognizing the parameters in an existing part, whereas most rules-based geometry creation is done from scratch. In a simple example, UnitCAD let's you click on an existing a circle and will let you call out its center and radius, which will then be available to modify to create a different circle. That might seem trivial, but apply that to a family of parts, say linear actuators, a UnitCAD ought to allow various sizes of actuators to be created just by filling in some numerical fields, like diameter, rod lengtht, extended length, etc.). That is always the dream of rules-based software, to be so easy, even a salesperson taking an order from a customer could make CAD drawings .

UnitCAD claims to work without programming knowledge though the language it uses seems to be its own and is not exactly English, and therefore not quite as easy to use. I am reminded of Excel formulas, which may not be programming, but still intimidate most users. Let's say the limits of a short visit do not allow a full understanding of UnitCAD's rule creation --at least for this editor.

UnitCAD is not cheap (the "Designer" version sells for $4K, but I suppose if it saves having to draw huge assemblies, it could pay off.

PowerBOM is a bill of material application that aims to reduce the redundancy and waste in BOM creation. Rather than have every user create a separate BOM for each drawing, PowerBOM will store items in a database for retrieval. When you are ready to create a BOM, you call up items from the database. Each item will be consistent among all drawing in which it used. Also, data can be stores with each item (weight, for example) to allow calculations.  PowerBOM is listed at $599.

For more information on Risersoft products, go to http://www.risersoft.com/index.aspx

ProjectExplorer for Autodesk Civl3D by 3AM

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University) - Bruce Harfield wanted to show me his Project Explorer for Civil 3D, but as luck would have it, his laptop was on the fritz. So I promised to take a look at ProjectExplore on my own after the show. At least it was a chance to meet Bruce, who attained some measure of fame in the Autodesk 3rd party sphere for selling his previous company (Dyanmite VSP) to Autodesk*. And who doesn't like to listen to a British accent?

Bruce, a registered civil engineer in the UK, is back on his own with 3AM but seems to never have strayed from Civil3D and his civil engineering brethren. 3AM, a authorized Autodesk developer, has built what he refers to as the "ultimate Civil 3D companion.

ProjectExplorer may be the best Autodesk plug-in not seen at AU 2013

Built to work alongside an open Civil3D window, ProjectExplore works lik a ttour guide as you drive through your model. It seems to be peeking over your shoulder and offering you details and insight, which may not be apparent to the newcomer. It's as if ProjectExplorer has lived in your model since it was made, but really it establishes a live link with the model and is able to generate reports and views in real time. Views include alignment profiles, sample lines, assemblies and pipe networks.

Or so it would seem from the literature on the website. I will await a closer look as soon as Mr Harfield gets his computer straightened out. And as soon as it becomes available. PE says it will be "available soon" and you must contact 3AM to get the price. Don't you wish companies didn't do that?

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* Autodesk Acquires Dynamite VSP and Dynamite SIM Visualization, Jan 2010.  Autodesk renamed the product Autodesk Civil View.

BenQ "CAD/CAM Monitor"

BenQ's mysterious multifunction device may control screen modes for its "CAD/CAM monitor."

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University) - There's nothing like beautiful images on a big screen to catch a CAD editor's eye --and it helps to bill the monitor as a "CAD/CAM" spececific. Such was the case at the BenQ booth.

So, besides the pretty pictures, what makes the BL2710PT monitor, so special for CAD users? At the tail end of Autodesk University, I think I caught the BenQ guys by surprise. But they were able to recover. "It can dim and brighten the screen automatically. " They showed me what was the sensor. But putting my hand over the sensor had no noticeable effect on the brightness of the screen. They scrambled to activate the setting which allowed the screen to adjust, but the effect was marginal on the show floor. What else, I asked?  I was shown a round device with multiple buttons, each having some function, but I could not find any description of this device on the company website.

The monitor does have a good resolution, however (2560x1440) and it would probably be welcome for CAD use based upon image quality and size alone. I would like to compare it to the Lenovo 30" monitor, a Best of Show nominee (Lenovo a Lesson in Overseas Success, CAD Insider, Dec 7, 2013). The BenQ BL2710PT appears to be available for much less, however -- about $700 in a quick online search, compared to Lenovo's ThinkVision LT3053 $1600 MSRP).

Docupoint DrawingSearcher at AU

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University) - Docupoint's DrawingSearcher employs a "Google-like"* search to allow you to look through your DWG files for text. DrawingSearcher also lets you view and print drawings through a browser -- no need to have AutoCAD on your computer.

I found myself wishing the drawing view was bigger and the text boxes, which were often blank but still displayed, to be smaller. Also, DrawingSearcher does not seem to be interactive with the drawing. There is no way to search and replace text, for example or even click on a drawing to load it for editing or viewing.

How Much?

DrawingSearcher Silver, which lets you look through DWG files, is listed at$1,240.

For more information

See Docupoint's website: www.docupoint.com

*It's not quite Google like, however, DrawingSearcher does not, for example, recognize terms as you type (type-ahead) or suggest correct spelling -- both attributes of Google I have come to rely upon.

Get a Printer/Scanner in the Office Without Buying It

The HP Designjet T2500 is the big brother of the T1500 ePrinter that got TenLinks Best of Show at AIA 2013 show (HP DesignJet T1500 ePrinter - Camel of CAD Printers, June 24, 2013)

How do you improve on the T1500? The T2500 adds scanning capability, making it a MFP (multi-function printer). You might ask what HP, a printer company, knows about scanners. "That's why we've teamed up with Contex," says Todd Hatfield of HP, on hand at Autodesk University. For businesses that have had to buy a big printer and a scanner, each separate, each with their large format footprint, HP engineer have neatly piggy backed a scanner on top of their printer. One footprint, one interface, one electrical cord. Makes sense if you need both functions -- and space.

HP OEMs the Contex scanner, integrating it within the T2500, so it all appears as one unit. Support provided by HP.

The HP Designjet T2500 integrates a Contex scanner

Why Buy When you Can Rent?

The HP Designjet T2500 costs between $8500 and $9500. That may be lot for a small architectural practice and medium AEC firms, so Todd suggests an alternative. 

There is a growing trend in the large format print business: managed print service (MPS). According to Todd, more firms are opting to let a print service firm buy the printer, but install it and maintain it on the company site. Why not have a print specialist set it all up and maintain it, rather than your overworked CAD manager, who will have to unplug himself from the workflow and pore over the manual for a few days to get it all to work? Then there's buying supplies, repairs...and down the road, replacement. With a managed print service, your bookkeeper will get one expense line item every month. This convenience and efficiency has combined to create a MPS market expected to grow 7% annually to $28 billion by 2017¹, 

HP is itself a leader in the MPS field, according to Gartner².

For more information

• Large-format Printer – HP Designjet T2500 eMultifunction Printer – Highlights on the HP site.
• HPs Managed Print Services

 1.   2012-2017 Worldwide MPS Forecast Still Shows Excellent Growth in Specific Geo’s and Segments, Randy Dazo, InfoTrends

2. IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Managed Print and Documnent Services 2013, pdf, vendor analyisi on HP's site

 

Kalloc Brings Revit Models to Life

LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University) - Seeing the coolest technology, some of it before it is publicly available, is one of perks of attending CAD events. Fuzor, by Kalloc Technology, was being previewed by Henry Yu, founder, who showed me what may be the best way to view Revit models -- once it is released.

Henry comes from a software gaming background. I imagine he may have attempted walk through a Revit model, found it any thing but easy, then compared that to the relative ease by which anyone can move around complex environments in a video game environment...when the light bulb went on. Why not make it interacting with a building design just as easy?

Through a add-on menu in Revit, Fuzor will synch with the design file and begin to show you rendered images of a virtual building's interior with an avatar providing scale - a common enough mode for gamers. Fuzor is physics based -- so it knows you stay on the floor and can't walk through walls. It uses the BIM model as input and renders on the fly with patented technology. Updates, such as changing windows or removing them in the BIM file are updated in Fuzor. And vice versa. You can simulate weather and time of day lighting. Walk-throughs have become child's play! In fact, seeing Fuzor at work make one wonder why anyone would move through a building any other way. If the gamers have had a head start in moving around environments, why not use use that technology rather than invent another interface with its own proecedures, commands and interface. I expect Kalloc may offer a game console though none was visible at AU.

In this YouTube video, you can see how both Revit and Fuzor can be open. You can add lights to a Revit floor plan and immediately light up the Fuzor model.

Fuzor is currently in beta. Henry expects Fuzor to cost abut $3K when it is released.

For more information

http://www.kalloctech.com/